Early 20th journalists started creating nicknames for the cyclists. This effort popularized the cycling sport and make the racers interesting to the people who were not interested in cycling much. This tradition is still continuing today. Here is the list of cyclists’ nicknames in alphabetical order (by surname, starting with R):
By Surname: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
Michael Rasmussen
Kyllingen fra Tølløse (The Chicken from Tølløse)
Michael Rasmussen (born 1 June 1974 in Tølløse, Denmark) is a retired Danish professional cyclist. He won 4 stages at the Tour de France (2005-2007) and won the King of the Mountains (KOM) polka-dot jersey twice (2005, 2006). He also won a stage at the Vuelta a España in 2003. He was considered one of the best climbers of his generation.
In the 2007 Tour de France, Rasmussen while wearing the yellow jersey and well on his way to winning the Tour (he was leading Alberto Contador by a 3:10), had his contract terminated by his team and was removed from the Tour.
Davide Cassani, an Italian retired professional rider, reported that he had seen Rasmussen in Italy in June 2007, a time when Rasmussen claimed to have been training in Mexico. So, he was withdrawn from the race and fired by his team Rabobank for “violating internal rules”.
Michael Rasmussen’s nickname, Kyllingen fra Tølløse (The Chicken from Tølløse) originates from his period as a mountain biker, when a couple of teammates were watching the Danish children’s TV show Bamses Billedbog, about a bear and a chicken. One of his teammates was nicknamed Bear, and so Rasmussen was dubbed Chicken.
| CYCLIST | NICKNAME | COUNTRY | BIRTH/DEATH | YEARS ACTIVE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riccardo Riccò | The Pharmacist, The Cobra | Italy | 01 Sep 1983 2006-2011 | |
| Bjarne Riis | The Eagle of Herning | Denmark | 03 Apr 1964 – | 1986-1999 |
| Jean Robic | Old Leatherhead, Biquet | France | 10 Jun 1921 06 Oct 1980 | 1943-1961 |
| Joaquim Rodríguez * | El Purito | Spain | 12 May 1979 – | 2001- |
| Tony Rominger | The Mouse, The Hammer, The Camel | Switzerland | 27 Mar 1961 – | 1986-1997 |
| José Rujano * | Coffee Man | Venezuela | 18 Feb 1982 – | 2003- |
By Surname: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
Sources
- Michael Rasmussen on Wikipedia
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